S.D. Unified Wants More Solar Roofs

SAN DIEGO  San Diego Unified district officials say they would like to use federal bond money to build more solar rooftops at local schools.

San Diego Unified secured $74 million in federal loans to pay for government-backed solar projects. That's more money than the entire state of New Jersey was able to secure through the government's clean renewable energy program.

However, San Diego Unified will have to pay back the money. Federal officials hope the district can do that based on the money saved on energy bills.

The district has identified more than 100 solar projects. Many campuses have already been outfitted with solar panels. District officials say that's one of the reasons why San Diego Unified secured 10 percent of the national funding.

Other reasons include San Diego's sunshine and the large number of buildings that still need solar panels.

District officials say they're still trying to figure out how much money they can accept because they're not sure how much they can reasonably pay back.